THOUGHT LEADER: Integration is central to PR's place in corporate world

A few years back when I was working on a project at Cisco to centralize the corporate and line-of-business PR shops, I researched a number of companies to understand how they organized their communications efforts. While many had different structures, one thing struck me. Each one - Intel, SBC, and several other top companies - had something in common: an ultimate group that made the key decisions that dictated the company's communications strategy and messaging. Sounds basic, but what's more striking is the number of companies (including Cisco) that have not embraced an integrated structure as critical to their communications success.